Electrical connection for distributors



Sept. 1, 1953 H. v. ELLIOTT ELECTRICAL CONNECTION FOR DISTRIBUTORS Filed Oct. 26, 1949 Patented Sept. 1, 1953 ELECTRICAL CONNECTION FOR: DISTRIBUTORS Harold V. Elliott, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a

corporation of Delaware Application October 26, 1949, Serial No. 123,685

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to devices for making mechanical and electrical connections between insulated wires and terminal members.

An object of the invention is to reduce the cost of manufacture of such connecting devices by effecting a reduction in the amount of material and labor involved in the manufacture thereof. In the disclosed embodiment, this object is accomplished by the use of a relatively narrow band initially of U-formation and having a pointed tang for piercing diametrically into the cable to make contact with the wires thereof, said U- shaped member being then formed cylindrically around the insulation of the cable. The terminal member to which the cable is to be connected provides a socket for receiving the band on the cable, said socket having an annular groove for receiving detents provided by the band.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, sectional view showing the cable connected with a terminal member embedded in a non-conducting support.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the band before it is bent.

Fig. 4 is a view in the direction of arrow 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows the band bent into U-shape.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 5, a band I is formed of sheet metal preferably of half hard sheet brass. It is shaped to provide detents I I and a pointed tank I2 formed by partially shearing the member Ill and bending it away from the plane thereof. Member I0 is then bent into U-formation as shown in Fig. with the tang I2 extending midway between and parallel to the branches I3 of the U. The cable I5 comprises a core of small wires I6 enclosed by an insulating sheet I! of a rubber-like compound which is somewhat flexible. The terminal 20 with which the cable is to be mechanically and electrically connected provides a socket portion 2| having an annular groove 22 which is provided by the forming socket portion, thus providing an annular bead 23 which assists in anchoring the terminal 20 to a non-conducting support 24 of molded insulating material, member 20 being an insert in the mold in which the member 24 is molded under heat and pressure. The member 24, may, for example, be an ignition distributor cap, the terminal 20 being one of the distributor posts and the cable I5 being a connection between the post and the spark plug.

One end of the cable I5 is placed between the branches I3 of the U-shaped member ID and is forced against it with pressure sufiicient to cause the pointed tang I2 to press through the insulation of the cable and to be received between the wires of the core I 6 to make electrical connection therewith. The branches I3 are then bent around the insulation of the cable to form a band, the ends of the band being slightly separated as indicated at 25 in Fig. 2.

The band having been assembled with the cable, the cable and band are forced down into the socket portion 26 of the support 24 to cause the band to be received by the socket portion 2| of the terminal 20. This action causes the band to be squeezed inwardly by the tapering walls of the socket 26 so that detents I I can be received within the upper portion of the socket 2| of terminal 20. When the detents II arrive at the level of the annular groove 22, by virtue of the resiliency of the band and the resiliency of the insulation I! the squeezing of the insulation I! by the band causes a portion of the insulation I! to bulge out so as to fit snugly in the lower portion of the socket 26. By virtue of this construction, a relatively narrow band I 0 can be used and therefore the terminal member 20 need have only a relatively shallow socket portion. Consequently, the construction provides for minimizing the amount of metallic material required.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

An electrical connection comprising, an insulating body having a tapering cavity; a metal member embedded in said body including a socket which lines with the cavity, said socket including an internal circumferential groove therein; a cable having a flexible conductor and a yielolable sheath; and a conducting band embracing the cable adjacent one end thereof, said band being split the entire length thereof and being slightly larger in diameter than the socket, said band having a prong piercing the sheath and contacting the conductor to hold the band in assembly with the cable and having bosses adapted to be received by the groove, said band, when inserted in the socket, adapted to be compressed radially inwardly so as to fit in the socket and causing the sheath within the confines of the band to be placed under radial compression and also for causing the sheath above the band to expand Number radially outwardly into sealing contact with the 1,792,866 cavity. 1,905,245 HAROLD V. ELLIOTT. 2,026,490

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS gg Number Name Date 428006 1,334,040 Lee Mar- 1 1920 10 595 210 1,334,084 Dorsey Mar. 16, 1920 607276 1,700,899 Kroeger Feb. 5, 1929 Name Date Rabezzana Feb. 17, 1931 Rowley Apr. 25, 1933 Bell Dec. 31, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Country I Date Great Britain Jan. 10, 1924 France Apr. 10, 1910 France Sept. 29, 1925 France June 29, 1926 

